You probably don't think of your poop as art or a book, but each time you finish doing your business, your fecal matter tells a story. That is because we are what we eat, and whatever we eat eventually ends up in the toilet. So if you are interested in examining what your bowels have produced, you may discover some clues about your health. For instance, if your stool sticks to the toilet bowl, there is a good chance your diet is too high in fat.
That said, there is no need to immediately rush out to the grocery store to revamp your entire diet. Sometimes a gross piece of fecal matter is just that — kind of disgusting and something you can flush away and quickly forget about.
Still, while discussing poop can be yucky or amusing, it is not always fun and games. (For example, pencil-thin poop can be a sign of colon cancer.) So it is never a bad idea to monitor your stool and use it as a gauge for how your health is doing. And if you have noticed that your poop is sticking to the toilet bowl, you will want to start paying attention. Sticky poop can be a sign that you should start adjusting your eating habits or consider calling a doctor. It also may mean nothing at all.
Below, doctors break down the different types of sticky poop, along with other red flags. Here is what to know.
Poop That Sticks to the Toilet — But Otherwise Looks Normal
Panic-meter: Low. "I would not say that if poop sticks to the bowl that it is any type of emergency. Poop sticking to the bowl could just be a normal variant," said Dr. Asma Khapra, a gastroenterologist at Gastro Health in Fairfax, Virginia, and the chief medical officer at Pandora Health.
What it could mean: There may be nothing to be concerned about, but, as noted, your diet may be high in fat. "Sticky stool can be caused by excess fat in the stool, a condition called steatorrhea, which can occur when the body is not absorbing fat properly," said Dr. Brynna Connor, health care ambassador at NorthWestPharmacy.com.
On the worrisome side, Connor said sticky poop could be a sign of celiac disease or pancreatitis, two conditions you would definitely want to get checked out — or it might simply be due to medication you are taking that affects fat absorption.
One high-fat meal can cause a sticky stool, or it may be that your fiber intake is too low, Connor said. "If you notice your poop sticking to the bowl, you can try increasing your fiber intake through fruit, vegetables, and/or whole grains, adequately hydrating, and/or cutting back on ultra-processed, fatty foods for a week, monitoring any changes that occur," she said.
If the sticky poop problem sticks around: If after a week of making changes in your diet, your poop is still clinging to the bowl, you may want to see a doctor, both Khapra and Connor said. (Also: It may be a good time to invest in a new toilet brush.)
Poop That Sticks to the Toilet — and Is Black and Tar-Like
Panic-meter: Medium, if the problem persists.
What it could mean: Similar to regular-looking fecal matter that sticks to the toilet, this, too, might be nothing to worry about. For instance, Connor said iron supplements and Pepto-Bismol can turn a stool into something black and tar-like. "The active ingredient, bismuth subsalicylate, reacts with sulfur in the digestive tract to form bismuth sulfide, which is a black-colored substance that temporarily darkens the stool," Connor said.
Still, if what you are looking at is dark black and tarry, a medical term known as melena, it could be a sign of bleeding, "often from an upper GI tract or small bowel source, such as a gastric ulcer," Khapra said. She added that if your stool is an "oily type" or "mucusy" for weeks, especially if you are also generally not feeling well, you will want to check in with your doctor.
If the sticky poop problem sticks around: If you are not taking iron supplements and have not lately taken Pepto-Bismol, and your poop remains black and tar-like, you would want to make an appointment with your doctor, both Connor and Khapra said.
Poop — Whether It Sticks to the Toilet or Not — That Is Red
Panic-meter: Chat with your doctor.
"Red bowel movements can be caused by red foods but also by bleeding," said Dr. David Clarke, board-certified in internal medicine and gastroenterology and president of the Association for the Treatment of Neuroplastic Symptoms (ATNS).
What it could mean: Red foods include red meat, spinach (which is heavy in iron), tomatoes, beets, and red licorice. So before panicking over red poop, think back to the last few meals. There may be an innocent explanation. On the other hand, Clarke said, if your stool is liquid red and seems to be more blood than poop, you should be evaluated by a physician. He noted you should consider it an emergency if you also have abdominal pain or cramping, or if you are weak and short of breath, your heart is beating rapidly, you are dizzy, or you are vomiting blood "or material that looks like coffee grounds."
If the red-colored poop problem sticks around: If you have made some diet changes, and a week or so later, your stool is still a crimson color, all of the physicians interviewed recommended contacting your doctor. And if you are worried, there is nothing that should stop you from making an appointment sooner.
So, What Should Your Poop Look Like?
It is pretty clear — we do not want black, tarry poop, and we do not want it to be red, oily, or mucusy. Ideally, not constantly sticky. So what would the perfect poop be? Connor said that "ideally, stool should be smooth, sausage-shaped and easy to pass." And if you were going to paint a portrait of your poop, you would want to select hues that are "medium to dark brown in color, as this means both bile and digestions are working appropriately," Connor said.
In a perfect world, your stool is not floating either, Connor said. If it floats, that may be another sign of a diet too high in fat. Connor said it can indicate a lot of things, though, including that you are consuming a lot of dairy products or perhaps too many high-fiber foods, or it may even be a sign of stress and anxiety. No need to be anxious if your stool does float, however. It is just that if you want to strive for poop perfection, it will sink slowly.
Khapra suggests not getting too worried by any random splash down in the toilet that looks a bit troubling. "Most folks are fixated over their stools, but the reality is, stools will vary by so many things — by what you are eating, how much water you are drinking, how much fiber you get in," Khapra said. "It is important to look at trends over time instead of one snapshot of one day with a mild variation."
